Redskins win the NFC East by defeating their archival Cowboys

The rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys has long been considered the most heated in the National Football League.  A week 17 game to settle the NFC East division and a playoff spot stands out as one of the most significant games in the history of the rivalry.  Electrifying rookies Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris led a Redskins attack that had led the team to 6 consecutive victories.  On the opposite end of the field stood Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who led the Cowboys to 5 wins in their last 7 games to set up the pivotal division title game.

Alfred Morris had a record breaking night (USA today)

 The Redskins had not won their division since 1999, while the Cowboys had lost a similar winner takes the division game in week 17 of the prior season.

At the end of the night, Romo had thrown 3 interceptions, including one to linebacker Rob Jackson with just over 3 minutes remaining in the game and the Cowboys trailing by only 3 points.  Romo's mistake-laden performance, and 1-6 record in elimination games may cement his legacy as a quarterback with prolific statistics who is unable to win when it matters.

Morris had a record setting performance as he rushed for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, and in the process, broke Clinton Portis' franchise record for single season rushing yards.  Morris, a 6th round pick out of Florida Atlantic who was not even expected to make the team coming into training camp, finished the season with 13 touchdowns and 1,613 rushing yards ranking him second in the league in rushing yardage behind only Adrian Peterson.  Morris proved to be a perfect fit for Mike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme.  He has been nearly impossible to take down, leading the league in broken tackles and ranking third in yards after contact.  His bruising running style is a perfect weapon for the Redskins zone read option.

Morris' homerun celebration (Rob Carr/Getty)

Griffin III had a relatively quiet night throwing for only 100 yards, but also had 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.  He broke the all time single season rushing record for a rookie quarterback.  Griffin III finished the season with a passer rating of 102.4, breaking the single season rookie record in the category and ranking him third in the league in the category behind only Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning. 
The Redskins will host a Wild Card playoff game next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

Redskins defeat the Cowboys and Eagles to keep their playoff hopes alive

The Washington Redskins had a disappointing 3-6 record entering their bye week after losing three straight heartbreakers to the Giants, Steelers and Panthers.  By the time the Redskins welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles to town, it appeared that the team had given up hope on reaching the postseason.  Head coach Mike Shanahan seemingly threw in the towel when he told the media following the loss to the Panthers, "when you lose a game like that, now you're playing to see who, obviously, is going to be on your football team for years to come.  Now we get a chance to evaluate players and see where we're at."

Santana Moss
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The struggling Eagles squad was just the remedy for what ailed the Redskins.  The Redskins cruised past the Eagles 31-6, the largest margin of victory in Shanahan's tenure in Washington.  Philadelphia leads the NFC in turnovers, and also has the fewest takeaways in the conference.  Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick was out with a concussion, and his replacement, rookie Nick Foles threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.  The team was able to muster only 257 yards of total offense against a Washington defense that had struggled for most of the season.
Rookie sensation Robert Griffin III ignited the Redskins offense, throwing a career high 4 touchdowns, and completing all but one of his throws for an unbelievable completion percentage of 93.7%.  Griffin III set the NFL rookie record for passer rating with a perfect rating of 158.3.  Griffin III displayed his cannon of an arm with a 49 yard bomb to Aldrick Robinson and a 61 yard heave to Santana Moss on which the receiver made an incredible play by ripping the ball away from two defenders to seal the victory.

Robert Griffin III against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving
(Jose Yau/Associated Press/The Waco Tribune-Herald)

Only 5 days later, the Redskins traveled to Dallas to take on the hated Cowboys on a huge Thanksgiving day stage.  With the entire nation watching, Griffin III announced to the world that he is a worthy MVP candidate by leading the Redskins to a 28-3 half-time lead.  Griffin III finished the game with 4 touchdown passes, 311 passing yards, a 132.6 passer rating and once again completing over 70 percent of his passes.  Included among those touchdowns were a 68 yarder to Aldrick Robinson and a 59 yarder to Pierre Garçon, who had to adjust to a pass thrown behind him and outran the defense all the way to the end zone.  Garçon, who had missed significant time with a foot injury, made his impact felt with 5 receptions for 93 yards, the first time he was able to truly contribute since week 1.  Rookie running back Alfred Morris, a 6th round pick who is incredibly ranked 5th in the NFL in rushing yards, opened up the play action for the Redskins by picking up 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
In the second half the Cowboys came roaring back, pulling to within a touchdown of the Redskins.  Led by quarterback Tony Romo, who passed for 441 yards in the game along with 3 second half touchdowns, momentum appeared to be on Dallas' side.  Following receiver Dez Bryant's second touchdown of the game, which made the score 35-28, the Redskins were desperate for points.  Griffin III calmly drove the offense down the field to set up a field goal by Kai Forbath, who has yet to miss this season, with under 3 minutes left in the game.  The Cowboys made a field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the game to draw to within 38-31.  On the ensuing on side kick attempt, Redskins cornerback Deangelo Hall, who already had an interception in the game, returned the kick all the way to the 2 yard line before sliding to allow the Redskins to end the game in victory formation.

Robert Griffin III carrying the American flag
(Brian Murphy/Extremeskins.com)

The two consecutive victories against bitter division rivals has revived the Redskins playoff hopes, and gives the team a realistic chance to either win the NFC East division or sneak into the postseason as a wildcard.  Next week's Monday Night Football game against the Giants will be a crucial matchup to watch.